Sushi Bowls

Alright, listen. I love me some sushi. And I typically love re-creating all of my favorite foods at home. But mad respect for the experts, yo. There is an art to perfectly rolled sushi that I simply haven't mastered. (Probably never will, but I'll keep trying.)

Meanwhile, though, I do still want to enjoy some of those flavor combinations at home. So--sushi bowls. Not quite the same, but still fun to mix and match in the same way you might build a roll (if you're so inclined.) 

This also allows me to use quinoa (my food crush) in place of rice without worrying about the roll falling apart since it's almost impossible to get quinoa to be as sticky and sturdy as rice within a roll. So yeah. Not all bad to just eat it out of a bowl I guess. Try it, and let me know what you think.

Oh, and don't skip the sauces on this! They are super simple to make, and they change the flavors from "good" to "magical". I promise.

Sriracha Mayo (Sauce #1):

Ingredients:

1/2 cup light mayo

1 tablespoon Sriracha (you can adjust to your heat tolerance)

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Instructions: 

Mix well and set aside. (Store leftovers in refrigerator.)

Eel Sauce (Sauce #2):

Ingredients:

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup Mirin (sweet Japanese wine) If you can't find this, you can use dry sherry or marsala or really any cooking wine, but you will probably want to sweeten a bit.

1/2 cup coconut sugar

Instructions:

Combine all 3 ingredients in small sauce pan over medium high heat. Simmer at a gentle boil, stirring often, until reduced by about half. Set aside to cool and thicken. (Store leftovers in refrigerator.)

Sushi Bowls:

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 leek, finely diced (Or really any onion. I just had a leek, and I really like them, so I threw it in there.)

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1/2 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks

1/2 cup cucumber, cut into matchsticks

1 cup frozen shelled edamame 

1 avocado, diced

1 pound shrimp, peeled and de-veined

6-8 oz. fresh tuna

coconut oil (for coating pan 3 times)

Instructions:

1. Prepare edamame according to package directions and set aside.

2. Coat a non-stick pan with coconut oil and saute leeks over medium heat just until fragrant and slightly wilted. Add cooked quinoa and garlic paste and heat just until well-combined and warmed through. Set aside. (It's totally fine to serve this at room temperature. No need to keep it piping hot.)

3. Coat pan again with coconut oil and toss shrimp over medium heat just until firm, pink and opaque. Set aside and cover to keep warm.

4. Coat pan one more time with coconut oil and increase heat to medium-high. Sear tuna ever so briefly on each side--no more than about 30 seconds. Just enough to get a nice brown layer of flavor on the outside but stay pretty rare on the inside. Remove from pan and slice.

5. Build bowls by beginning with quinoa/leek mixture. Then add veggies and avocado. Layer protein over top and drizzle with sauces. 

6. Go back for seconds, 'cause you're gonna want 'em. :-D

And just because I think it's so pretty, one more picture...


Broiled Tilapia with Pineapple

Macy is my fellow fresh pineapple-lover. It's a little like torture to her when I buy a whole pineapple and put it in the fruit bowl, only to tell her she can't eat it (yet). She sure likes to hang out with me in the kitchen when I finally do cut into it, though. Funny little coincidence... ;-) So I had lots of company when I made this dish last week. And sure enough, it's a new favorite for Macy.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups unsweetened pineapple

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons coconut sugar

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons peeled, freshly grated ginger root

1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's seasoning

1 lb. tilapia

1 whole pineapple

1 teaspoon corn starch

Instructions:

1. Combine first 7 ingredients and stir well.

2. Peel, slice and core pineapple. (Confession: I actually didn't core mine this time, since it's easy enough to cut with a fork, and my family didn't mind, but if serving company, you would want to core the pineapple.)

3. Layer fish and sliced pineapple in baking dish and cover with 1/2 of pineapple juice mixture. Marinate in refrigerator for an hour or two, flipping fish at least once.

4. Preheat broiler. Place fish and pineapple slices on baking rack fitted into shallow baking sheet. Broil on top rack of oven for 10-12 minutes, checking often so as not to burn.

5. While fish and pineapple are cooking, add second half of pineapple juice mixture to small sauce pan and bring to boil. 

6. Combine corn starch with 1 teaspoon water and mix well. Add to sauce pan and continue to boil until mixture begins to thicken.

7. When fish and pineapple are ready, remove from oven and place on serving platter. Drizzle sauce over top of entire platter and serve warm.